Trump may be ahead in the polls now, but Nikki Haley doesn’t think that people will vote for him in November of 2024.
“Americans are tired. They don’t want the chaos and the drama anymore. They have enough chaos in their lives. Democrats have brought enough chaos with inflation, with schools, and with the border. You can’t replace Democrat chaos with Republican chaos.”
Chris Ryan of iHeart New Hampshire; Christina Fitzpatrick of AARP NH; and Former UN Ambassador and Governor of South Carolina and Republican 2024 Presidential Candidate, Nikki Haley, sat down for "Pints & Politics" at The Barley House in Concord, presented by AARP & New England College.
The lively roundtable with Ambassador Haley covered a variety of topics which ranged from her obsessive love of Clemson University football to her music choices, and important political issues.
With war raging in Europe for over a year, with Israel poised to invade Gaza on its mission to root out Hamas, and with China making threats in the Pacific, Ambassador Haley feels that her years in the United Nations gives her valuable foreign affairs experience compared to her chief rival, Governor Ron DeSantis
Drawing on her firsthand knowledge of the area, the Ambassador has called for Israel to “finish” Hamas, and she explains why this mission is fraught with complexities. An Israeli ground campaign in Gaza will be difficult militarily and will have a built-in public relations aspect when there will be civilian casualties.
“Those tunnels that they have built, it’s no surprise, that they are under schools and hospitals. They know that the Israelis value life. They don’t.”
Ambassador Haley is very critical of the Biden Administration’s dealings with Iran which include giving billions of dollars in a hostage exchange and relaxing sanctions which has allowed a country known for sponsoring terrorism to make even more billions from oil exports.
“You can’t negotiate with a culture which says death to America, death to Israel. No amount of money is going to change the way they think, so stop giving it to them.”
Recent disparaging comments about Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu by President Trump, at a time when Israel had just suffered a horrific terror attack and needed words of support and comfort, were criticized by the Ambassador.
“The problem is that he can’t talk about anything without making it about himself. He’s bringing up an old issue that he had with Netanyahu.”
Nikki Haley is running second in the polls to Donald Trump in New Hampshire, Iowa, and even her home state, South Carolina. She believes that voters sympathize with Trump because he never got a moment of peace or an ounce of credit during his time in office.
In her reply to a question from Christina Fitzpatrick of AARP about supporting family caregivers, Nikki Haley revealed that her elderly parents, who have serious health issues, have been living with her for the last ten years. To her, this topic is very personal, and she shares the many difficulties faced by a family caregiver.
Being an Indian-American woman, Ambassador Haley doesn’t make a big issue of potentially being the first woman president because she has been a groundbreaker throughout her political career, as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, the Governor of South Carolina, and Ambassador to the United Nations.
“There have not been long lines to the bathroom in any of the jobs that I have had.”
When she was asked how she would protect Social Security, Governor Haley responded by saying that the United States must keep its promise to those who have paid into the system. However, she points out Social Security and Medicare will both be bankrupt within ten years unless reforms which would affect those entering the system are put in place.
Citing the fact that only 29% of eighth grade students are proficient in reading and that only 26% are proficient in Math, she feels that this is the biggest threat that we face.
“If we don’t do something about this in the next ten years, America will be in a world of hurt. We’ve got to get these kids reading again.”
Governor Haley went on to call for more transparency about what is being taught, for school choice, and more vocational and apprenticeship programs.
She calls for paying down the debt; making government more aware that nit is the taxpayers money; modernizing the education system, so kids are prepared for the jobs of the future; changing our Department of Defense to a Department of Offense which has fewer bureaucrats; and confronting America’s mental health problem.
Governor Haley, who was an accountant before entering politics, believes that the American economy has tremendous potential if the government gets its fiscal house in order.
On the lighter side, Nikki Haley shared that her musical tastes range from Def Leppard to Taylor Swift, but she really loves to belt out “I Love Rock and Roll’ by Joan Jett. Clemson University is her alma mater, and the football team is another thing about which she is very passionate.
“I’m that fan. I’m rabid. I’m up. I’m screaming, the whole thing.”